Unit doses of medication that are prepared in the form of tablets, capsules, caplets, and the like, are generally packaged in bottles which are typically loaded or filled into the bottle through its neck. After being thusly loaded or filled, the bottles are usually closed with a removable cap means so that a patient can access the medication.
A more convenient package form has been provided in a earlier invention, U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,213, issued May 25, 1993, which relates to a elongated container body C ("stick") having a removable closure means ("cap"). This has been found to be a convenient form to consumers, who have frequently responded to surveys requesting package designs which are in smaller sizes and which are easy to lift and carry. However, this package does not have any particular child-resistant (CR) cap associated with it.
Ironically, senior citizens who most prefer small size packages, also dislike many commonly available "child-resistant" (CR) packaging as they have difficulty in opening, or experience spills in opening. However, CR packages are widely used as mandated by government regulations, in both OTC and prescription drugs for certain classes of medications. If a senior citizen has a package which has a hard-to-open cap, once the cap is off, it stays off. From that point on, the original child-resistant container is anything but.